Fish & Richardson Adds Six Associates Across Key Practice Areas in the Second Half of 2025

Fish & Richardson expanded its associate ranks in the second half of 2025. Two are new to Fish, one returned following a clerkship at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and three transitioned from technology specialists to associates after graduating from law school. Their combined experiences and perspectives further enrich the firm and reinforce our dedication to excellence in every aspect of our work.

Elizabeth DeToro is rejoining Fish after serving as a law clerk to the Honorable Kimberly A. Moore, Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. She focuses her work on patent litigation in electrical and computer technologies. Prior to beginning her career in law, she worked for a strategy and technology consulting firm. DeToro earned her J.D. from Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law where she served as a staff writer and online editor of the Villanova Law Review. DeToro has a bachelor's degree in computer science from the University of Notre Dame. She previously summered with Fish in 2021 and 2022.

Annie Hartnett advises clients on protecting and defending their brands, with a focus on trademark registration and enforcement in the electrical and computer technology sectors. She earned her J.D. from the University of Iowa College of Law, where she served as a contributing editor of the Iowa Law Review. Hartnett holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Iowa.

Sean O’Brien provides patent prosecution services with a focus on mechanical engineering and physics technologies. His experience spans all aspects of patent prosecution, including preparing patent applications, office action responses, and Patent Trial and Appeal Board briefs, where he has also argued against rejections of patent applications. O’Brien earned both his master’s degree and bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Minnesota Duluth, where his research focused on fluid-induced electrical degradation in medium voltage cables. He also serves as an adjunct professor for the IP moot court at the University of Minnesota Law School, where he earned his J.D.

Jiao Wang, Ph.D.,has advanced from a technology specialist to an associate after earning her J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law. She focuses her practice on drafting and prosecuting patent applications in electrical engineering and computer-related technologies, including machine learning, artificial intelligence, and signal processing. She holds a Ph.D. and master’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Notre Dame, where her doctoral research led to the invention of an advanced Markov random field regularization algorithm for computed tomography image reconstruction. Wang also holds a master’s degree from the Communication University of China and bachelor’s degrees in telecommunications and computer science from Huazhong University of Science and Technology.

Weisheng (Wilson) Xie, Ph.D., has advanced from a technology specialist to associate after earning his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center. His practice draws on his background as a Ph.D.-level researcher to help clients build and safeguard strategic patent portfolios, with a particular emphasis on computer-related technologies and electrical engineering. He earned a Ph.D. and master’s degree in telecommunications engineering from the University of Texas at Dallas, where his doctoral research focused on applying combinatorial optimization techniques to improve performance and reduce costs in optical networks. He holds a bachelor’s degree in information engineering from Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications.

Hanchao Zhao, Ph.D., has advanced from a technology specialist to an associate after earning his J.D. from Suffolk University Law School. He focuses his practice on patent drafting, prosecution, and counseling in broad aspects of life sciences. He received his Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he collaborated with a pharmaceutical company and academic labs to investigate small-molecule drug inhibition mechanisms. Zhao holds a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from Tsinghua University.